CANTON — MC Walker put on a show Friday night.
Orange’s senior wideout, Walker caught five passes for 123 yards and a touchdown in the second quarter and the Pioneers powered to a 28-14 win over St. Xavier in the Division I championship game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Lucas Fickel rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown and caught a TD pass and Levi Davis added 93 yards rushing and a score, plus 2 TD passes as Orange (15-0) won its first state title.
“It was a phenomenal performance by him just to show up and show out,” Orange coach Wes Schroeder said. “He had a bunch of catches and we’re proud of him.”
Second-Quarter Surge
The Pioneers came to life after a scoreless first quarter. Davis scored on a 2 yard keeper on fourth and goal on the first play of the second quarter to give Orange a 7-0 lead.
The Blue Bombers (11-3) tied the score on Jake Britt’s 39 yard run, before Walker took over. He caught a 4 yard TD pass from Davis to make it 14-7 and hauled in a 39 yarder to set up Fickel’s 15 yard scoring grab to make it 21-7 at the half.
“He’s a dawg,” Davis said of Walker. “Going into the season I knew he had something special.”
Orange extended the lead to 28-7 on Fickel’s 4 yard blast midway through the third quarter.
St. Xavier cut it to 28-14 with 5:03 to play in the fourth on Aidan Newdigate’s 12 yard TD catch, but the Pioneers recovered the ensuing onside kick and killed the clock to preserve the victory.
The Ohio University-bound Davis completed 10-of-18 passes for 177 yards and two scores.
“It’s tough to have an answer for him,” St. Xavier coach Steve Specht said of Davis. “The bigger issue is when you combine Levi with Lucas Fickel. That one-two punch is pretty potent.
“He’s a lot of fun to watch on film. He’s a nightmare to prepare for.”
Davis was a Mr. Football candidate but didn’t finish in the top three in balloting. Indian Valley running back Grady Kinsey won the award, announced Thursday.
“I was honored to be a finalist, but ultimately … what I wanted was the state championship,” Davis said. “That’s exactly what I got.”
Photos: Orange 28, Cincinnati St. Xavier 14
Credit: Zac Hiser
